Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-02-05
LIFE IN NEW YORK.
How q Great City Grows, and 0bscures
It's Celebrities.

| fts Celebrities.
special Correspondence of THE EVENING SrAA
NEW YORK, February 4. 1887.
shah never forget my experience as one OF the
perturbed and ag1tated house committee during
the short but brilliant career OF club that Is now
among the irrevocable and lamented dead. The
club was composed OF lot OF genial and agree
able men who were distinguished by many engag-
Ing Qualities and blessed with an entire and cap
uvating Indifference to affairs financial The
club had taken apartments in lower Madison
avenue. at the rate OF two thousand dollars a
year, put In billiard and pool tables and engaged
| the services OF large and respectful waiter who
divided his time equally between breaking crock
cry and glassware and falling from one ut OF alb
solute inebrfety into another The income OF the
club at this date was about four hundred dollars
year On paper. We engaged boy 70 attend the
pool tables, and one Of the members who still re-
tanned the confidence OF his tailor had the boy put
in livery. He was a SHIN, well-built and hand
some little chap and for week he was the pride OF
the club. HIS livery was dark green with a pro-
fusion OF brass buttons, and IL was exceedingly
becoming. As there was dismal but firm con-
vtctfon that the club would not be in q condition
to buy hver1es for long while to come, the most
intense and touching interest showed itself In the
care OF the livery which Willie wore. have seen
the crack pool player Of the club stop during
GREATNESS interest, when he was on the point OF
making an expert shot, raise his head and say,
willie, how many times have told you TO go
light On the shoulders OF that coat? There you go
LEANING leaning against the wall and squirming around as
eyes, and I'll tell you another thing, my son"
another member would add sagely, ''you're begtnn-
you're picking up chalk OF the floor bend your
body and not your knees"
Willie would blush and stand erect while all
interest In the game ceased instantly and the
members fell to commenting on the livery earnest
~. One day 1t was discovered by an acute
ftotv haAI nt~xt
out OF his clothes at both ends rate that cast
dismal and mournfuI haze over the entire club.
some OF the members supplied him with cigarettes
his growth while others put up schemes OF such
vast and intricate construction for the same pur-
But 1t was all without avail. William shot upward,
downward and outward at a rate that def1ed
opposition; the sleeves shortened the legs OF the
trowserS Shrank up, and the buttons on the waist
or MS coat got nearer and nearer his shoulders,
until he finally spread beyond the combining limits
the club in another suit OF clothes. Within week
the club had gone into bankruptcy, and the boy
had disappeared from the surface OF the town for
New York is becoming great place for
LIvERIES AND UNIFORMS
Coachmen are clad with variety that is almost
grotesQue. The best tailors make their coats and
they often wear many hundreds of dollars worth
OF fur The fOotmen hold their positions solely by
reason of their attractive proportions and they
are as fastid1ous as handles about their attire.
woman OF fashion who lives opposite me has
about the most fetching thing in footmen in town.
he Is English, about fourteen years old, with ruddy
cheeks. big gray eyes and an erect and easy car
r1age. His mistress seems TO take a special de-
light In his nverieS. He has dozen of them, and
all are made by the best tailor in New York This
morning he followed his mistress to the carriage
clad IN green frock coat, corduroy trOwsers
whlCe duck over-ga1ters and sharp-Joed patent
leather boots. He wore the neatest of yellow kid
gloves, a natty beaver hat, and his shoulders were
covered by magnificent sealskin cape All the
livery
are most OF the hackmen. The drivers of Fifth
avenue stages wear blue coats with yellow but
man who designed their Iveries should
be obliged TO wear one forever /
can CO .,I imagines no greater punishment: Half
OF the errand boys in town are known as
"buttons," which means that they wear uveries
covered with brass buttons, and the messenger
boys, park, city and district policemen are all
more or less SLOWLY attired. All the conductors
ON the street and elevated lines are in uniform
just as are the janitoSs OF the big public buildings
and the pOrterS in banks and important commercial
houses A man dress-maker On 9Th avenue has
three little boys who clad entirely in red livery
from head to foot. They are all blondes, and their
shoulders behind Besides all this, the streets are
filled with NexicanS, Indians, cow boys and visit
from MoaareaI These With an a occasional
OF Arab peddlers, Indian juggierS and migrants
from all portions OF the world enhance the pic
turesqueness OF the streets OF New York.
LOST IN THE "NADDING CROWD"
talk with the Oldest resident of the city marks
wildly its rapid growth. Men are living who once
dug clans on the shore OF the North river half
mile below the foot OF Canal street. An Old Fellow
over ninety recalls fervent recOllecttons OF boySh
sports around Saw-pft back OF Trinity church.
You meet every day score or more OF men who
remember when the city hall park was uptown
and when Jefferson market was ''away out in the
granite. It was not supposed when it was built
that the city would ever extend beyond it. and
marble was only used on three sides. AZ that
time broadway below the Cd wifi
tail stores and private residences and Nassau and
Barclay streets were nests OF boarding houses.
price he paid for his house. Now men live In
houses for years without knowing even the name
OF the tenant next deor. Families in fiats remain
in bliSSfui ignorance OK those above them. Then
church communicates affiliated in brotherly love
and attended sewing circles, missionary gather
ings and prayer meetings with punctual regular
ity. Now those who attend prayer meet
ings and sewing circles are almost I'M
known. Then old residents, like those
acquaintances. To-day they are far more anxious
to decline them. The circle is already too large
and their time Is more than occupied With those
who are in it. A more surprising gauge of the
growth OF the city, however, is the unfamiar1ty OF
It's Inhabitants with its most noted men. sixty
years ago such prominent men as Philip Hone
John Jacob Astor, Peter LOrilard, Philip Freneau'
Ogden Hoffman and Aaron Burr were readily
pointed out TO strangers. Thirty years ago nearly
Commodore Vanderbilts Astrakhan overcOat Tom
Hyer'S Shiney hat, Peter COOper'S rubber cushions
ana wilson u. HunIS antique stock TODAY.
however, the most renowned citizens may wander
through the streets for hours without being recog
nized. The city has swelled to such size and be-
come so populated that lifetime is hardly enough
for naturalization. Faces OF few of its great men
are known to the people The last time saw
Gen. Grant was on Broadway, near the Herald
building. He was on clutches hObbling in a
stream OF human beings, not one OF whom was
aware OF his presence Six weeks leave Interesting
memories OF similar occurrences.
Not long ago saw little man with semitic
cast OF cOuntenance, gazing at time table in the
Grand Central depot. He was attired in dark
clothes the worse for wear, seedy tile and UNI
blackened CATERS. He carried badly bleached
alpaca umbrella and a brown paper parcel With
these he wandered around the waiting room read
Ing railroad announcements and listening to the
inquiries OF ticket buyers. His face was mobile
and his eyes dark and thoughtful. Not once did
he smile. He removed his hat occasionally and
scratched his head, which was Streaked with gray
and was rapidly becoming bald. There were a
hundred persons in the room, yet no one knew
him. He was Jay Gould, awaiting the departure
OF the train that was TO carry him to his home on
the Hudson.
Six weeks ago attended Buffalo Bill's perform
ance at Madison Square garden. 1t was series
OF unique Indian dances given for the entertain
ment or his friends. In a box sat a white faced
man with snowy head and trimmed beard. He
wore pebbles, and there were great bags OF flesh
under his piercing grey eyes. II was the face OF
strain OF intense application. 1t was the face of
Abram s. Hewitt who has just been elected mayor
OF New York, after the most memorable political
fight in the history Of the city. over 1900 per-
sons were in the garden, all Oh them GOthamfteS,
yet not more than half dozen knew Mr.. Hewitt.
month ago crowd filled the pariors at Del
mOnicOS. They were awaiting a summons to the
Y,nlia aan dinner toll